Angelina Jolie has joined those calling for the arrest of Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, following a controversial viral web video that has now been viewed by more than 70 million people.

The 30-minute film posted on YouTube by the charity Invisible Children calls for the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army militia to be arrested and asks for more intervention by the US government. It has won praise from millions of viewers but also criticism from human rights activists and Ugandan journalists.

At an event to mark International Womens' Day in New York, Jolie said she didn't "know anyone who doesn't hate Kony".

The Oscar-winning actor, who is a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations, added: "I've been to Uganda and Congo and been to the International criminal court myself … he's the one we all want to see in jail, so I think it's great that more people are talking about it.

"He's an extraordinarily horrible human being who, you know … his time has come and it's lovely to see that young people are raising up as well."

Jolie was targeted by the people behind Kony 2012 as one of 20 "culturemakers" they hoped would call for the warlord's arrest. Her image appears towards the end of the documentary along with other famous figures, such as Bill Gates and Justin Bieber, who Invisible Children hoped viewers might pressure to condemn Kony.

The group raised $5m (£3.2m) in just 48 hours after uploading the film, which makes an explicit call for contributions. What will happen to those funds is unclear: financial statements for Invisible Children show that only 32% of the $8.6m it raised last year went to services in northern Uganda.

It's not the first time Jolie has spoken out against Kony, who is accused of kidnapping and enlisting thousands of children into his militia. She told ABC news anchor Cynthia McFadden in 2010 she would be tempted to "take down" certain people if she were left alone in a room with them. "Joseph Kony. I hate him," she said.